


If Indeed She Even Sleeps

by probablyajedi



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Blogger Rey, F/M, Firefighter Ben Solo, M/M, Minor Poe Dameron/Finn, Murder Mystery, Serial Killers, ben and rey are not killers, ben is rey's hot neighbor, rey is house sitting, they are just investigating one, true crime podcasts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:47:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26366662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/probablyajedi/pseuds/probablyajedi
Summary: Rey Johnson is a blogger barely making rent when an old friend offers her a job house sitting for him. Safely tucked in the Hollywood Hills in a house she could only dream of owning, Rey explores a flirtation with her mysterious neighbor. When an active serial killer stalks Tinsel Town's elite communities, Rey seeks an opportunity to advance her journalism career and feed her morbid side.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	If Indeed She Even Sleeps

**Author's Note:**

> "Someday perhaps a cup will come together. Or somewhere Starling may hear a crossbow string and come to some unwilled awakening, if indeed she even sleeps.”
> 
> ― Thomas Harris, Hannibal

Chapter 1

* * *

From: kaydelconnix@shuttlenews.com

To: reyjohnson@shuttlenews.com

Subject: New Assignment

Dear Rey,

Your latest article: _Top Ten Things to Do with Canned Ravioli_ , was very well received. Traffic on your work has been steady and reliable. We would like to offer you a list of topics to be completed by the end of the month. Publication of your work will go at the regular rates with a bonus if delivered promptly. Please see attached for the topics.

Best,

Kaydel Connix

Editor

* * *

Rey groggily stared at her HP Notebook. It was propped sideways next to her fetal body on her futon. She hadn’t found the motivation to get up despite it being almost noon. Outside her open apartment window, the sounds of street traffic and pedestrians filled the air. It wasn’t quite sweltering hot yet, but in a month the heat waves would roll into the city and ruin her life. The Los Angeles area was a nightmare to live in during the summer season. Wildfires and unforgiving sunlight made her wonder why she bothered to stay living in this place.

_‘Because you’re stranded here and have no money?’_ Her brain was so damn helpful today. She groaned as she sat up and felt a sheen of sweat and sleep gack on the side of her face and scalp. She was a hard sleeper. She’d been known to stay in slumber through earthquakes and loud parties. That worked out fine for her in her shady apartment complex. The proximity to the 405 freeway made the commute to the _Shuttle News_ offices convenient. There was nothing else to write home about it. The ventilation was terrible. The kitchen was an oil stained closet with a stove. Her bedroom and living room were one in the same. Her place was a dump. She would make no arguments to the contrary. Living paycheck to paycheck in Southern California was not glamorous.

Rey quickly typed out a response to her editor before downloading the attachments. She unplugged her android phone and shuffled in a pair of flipflops to the shower. She cleaned the bathroom and kitchen religiously every week. None the less, she could never be convinced the shower wasn’t host to a flesh-eating virus. She ran the water until it steamed up the mirror. While she waited, she scrolled endlessly through _YouTube_ for new recommendations. Preferably a new True Crime podcast or case study she hadn’t heard before. She had a strange fixation on crime and murder. Not in a weird way. Just in a deep-seated fascination. Something about the tawdry details and horrible stories lit up her brain like a firecracker. A case labeled _The Isdal Woman_ appeared on her homepage. She’d heard it before, but not from this channel.

‘Good Enough.’ She turned her volume all the way up, standing her phone up in a basket on the counter by the mirror. The echoes of spooky music played as she stepped into the shower, flipflops still on. The hot water relaxed her muscled as she stood under the spray. A calm and collected young woman with a pleasant enough voice introduced the story as she shampooed her hair. Eerie details floated into her ears as she shaved. The mystery of who killed a woman that nobody could identify unfurled as she rinsed her skin clean. By the time the short video wrapped up she was reaching for her towel and shutting off the spray. Fully awake, she toweled off and brushed her teeth. In the fog of the mirror she took in her slicked back short brown hair and shower pinked skin.

‘Crazy how a woman can go die without someone knowing her identity or who did it. Would that be me one day?’ Rey was prone to bouts of loneliness since graduating college. She’d finished UCLA’s English program with below average debt thanks to financial aid. Her degree and work on the college newspaper had helped her get an internship with Shuttle News. The internship had consisted of mostly making copies, editing short articles, and avoiding being underfoot at the offices. When an opening in the online content section came up, she’d applied in hopes of a pay raise. Her editor, Kaydel, had allowed her a trial period as a new staff writer. What she lacked in experience and seniority, she made up for in efficiency and enthusiasm.

Now living in her shitty hovel in fear of standing in the shower barefoot, she wondered if she would have been better off working as someone’s live in maid. At least domestic work in SoCal was prolific. Most of it was even decent. Her obligatory twenty-something crisis of identity was interrupted by a text chime from her phone. The app had auto played to the next True Crime broadcast in the recommendations. A popup photo of her friend Finn Dameron was now floating over the YouTube video playing. She wiped her hands on the towel she was currently wearing and opened the message.

Finn: Heyo! How’s my favorite Brit!?

Rey hurried to the living/everything room and plopped onto of her Good Will duvet. She’d met Finn in a creative writing elective. He was a nice enough guy from a middle-class home. They shared the strange coincidence of having been in the foster care system. The only difference being he’d been adopted by a nice couple and a new sibling. Rey had been shuttled from home to home until she’d aged out. Following a few fraternity parties, they became close enough to be called good friends. She’d been the first person to know Finn was dating his now husband Poe. She’d even attended their wedding after graduation. Poe Dameron, they’d taken his surname, was an entrepreneur whose startup company had recently hit big on the market. Rey hadn’t seen either of them in months due to moving into their dream home in the Hollywood Hills. Rey tried very hard not to gag on her envy.

Rey: Just enjoying the weather before the apartment turns into Satan’s Asshole. :P

Finn: LOL

Finn: How’s the job?

Rey: Fine. Just got a list of new article topics from Kaydel…. why are you grilling me?

Finn: Can’t I just ask my friend about her life as an intrepid reporter?

Rey: Intrepid. Yes. That is exactly how I’d describe telling poor millennials the best recipes using ramen noodles and ketchup.

Finn: T____T

Finn: Do you need a hug?

Rey: I’m fine. Thank you though.

Finn: I think I can brighten your day. I have news.

Rey sat up straight. News of any kinds made her nervous. News meant change. Change was usually bad. Her damp hair dripped off actively as she watched the _typing_ bubbled oscillate.

Finn: Poe and I are working with UNICEF to build houses in South America.

Rey: …I wasn’t expecting that to be your news. Congrats tho.

Finn: We’ll be gone for like 8 months. We were wondering if you’d like to house sit for us.

“Holy Shit.” Rey’s voice is shaky. She felt a rush of excitement.

Rey: You’re shitting me!

Finn: No. We just thought it would be better than hiring a service or a stranger.

Rey: Central air and a pool?! I may die of contentment!

Finn: XD

Finn: We thought you’d like that.

Rey: When do you need me to come over?

Finn: We leave in a month, but if you wanna come by and get the grand tour sometime this week…

Rey: I’m free any day. Work from home and all.

Finn: Is tomorrow afternoon cool?

Rey: YES!

* * *

Illenium Drive took Rey’s crappy Toyota Corolla way up into the hills. The road turned into single lanes as soon as she turned off the main road. The houses in this part of town were owned by industry people, plastic surgeons, and minor celebrities. She felt instantly enticed and out of place. The steep drop over the side of the road barrier made her stomach flop as she took the windy incline at a leisurely pace. No need to speed straight off a cliff. Her windows were all rolled down on account of her car’s AC needing to be charged. Cool air was constantly out of reach in her life.

_*You have arrived at your destination. *_ Navigation pinged.

The house was one of those ultramodern all glass architectural pieces. The entire front was a series of open glass walls which exposed a front room with clean Ikea furniture. The front door in contrast was bright blue and framed by an alcove. The roof was a black flat top with a series of angled solar panels on top. The front garden was void of grass, instead covered in water efficient cacti and succulents. The landscaping was a decorative maze of colored rocks. Rey loved it.

“Peanut!” Finn was standing in the open door as she parked in the driveway. His bright smile injected some much-needed relief in her chest. She suddenly realized that this was the first person she’d seen in over a week. Her hermit-like lifestyle had been exacerbated by the work from home job. She hurried out of her car to hug her friend. Finn’s strong arms squeezed the air from her lungs in a loving way.

“Crushing me!” She yelped. Finn laughed and released her.

“It’s been forever.” She laughed.

“Hasn’t it though.” Poe stepped out into the alcove to give her a polite side hug.

“Come in you two. You’re letting the cold out.” Rey felt the frosty central air on her skin and shuddered. It was easily 70 degrees in the front hall. They all took off their shoes before stepping onto the pristine cream carpeting. The room looked like an Ikea showroom. There wasn’t a thing out of place. Photos from their wedding adorned the far wall along with various knickknacks from Guatemala. The items on display were tastefully arranged and made the staged looking room inviting. Rey looked straight up at the high ceiling and white walls.

“Ever afraid of tracking dirt in here?” Rey smirked. Finn had a panicked look.

“All the damn time! Hence the shoe rack by the door. We have a strict now shoes policy after the ordeal it took to get this placed cleaned last time.” Rey briefly entertained a ‘rich people problems’ joke, but though better of it. She instead followed them into the open kitchen. There were white marble countertops and modern style cabinets. The fridge had a stainless-steel finish with a bottom drawer freezer. Her stomach rumbled.

“Hungry?” Poe offered. Rey nodded. He pulled out a tray of cheeses and fruit from the fridge. The Gelson’s label on the side made her wallet hurt. She hadn’t darkened the door of a Gelson’s since she had an assignment to check the sale price of milk at various popular grocery stores. She smashed a grape between brie and a cracker as she took a seat across the island from the pair.

“We’re glad you agreed to do us this favor. It was short notice, but we just felt more comfortable having a friend watch the house and bring in our mail than go through the hassle of services.” Rey nodded as the creamy cheese and fruit exploded on her tongue.

“Thank for thinking of me. I was just thinking about how unbearably hot my apartment was going to get in a month. Staying here instead is like a working vacation for me.” Finn nodded and pulled out a binder from one of the cabinets. It was one of those extra wide ones for entire college textbooks or medical files. A front cover had been printed and inserted into the plastic pocket. _Rey’s Guide to Housesitting_.

“We made a manual in case of virtually any emergency. We also told some Poe’s assistant that you were staying here in case she needs to drop anything off. Just so nobody calls the cops on a stranger in our house.” Rey munched on more cheese and fruit, a kiwi this time, as she opened the cover. The pages were divided up with fancy labels. Plumbing Access, Fuse Boxes, Laundry Room Maintenance, Emergency Phone Numbers, and Alarm Codes. Rey studied the pages while eating as if she were being tested on it in a few minutes.

“Anything you want to know before the tour?” Rey looked up at the pair, realizing she had gone silent for a while.

“Um…what’s the Wi-Fi password?” She joked. Finn laughed before turned to the very back of the binder. On a piece of paper in the back pocket was the Wi-Fi password and the passwords for the various streaming services their TV had. Rey felt her mouth gape.

“You guys spent a lot of time on this binder.” It was bordering on OCD levels of detail. Poe laughed.

“Tour?” She nodded standing and leaving the binder with the cheese tray. The front room and kitchen were self-apparent. They returned to the front room and moved through it to a side office which was less exposed to the outside. Poe mentioned it was where he worked when he wasn’t at the office. Poe’s company demanded much of his free time, even at home. It was clinically spic and span. She mentally vowed not to enter that room if it could be helped. Next on the first floor was a small guest bedroom. It had a small balcony with an amazing view of the city below. Rey gaped at the hillside view.

“There’s a lower level?” Rey mused. The house had been built to accommodate the location. Instead of building up it was built down into the hill. The lower level was not visible from the street. Below the balcony was a large patio and pool with deck chairs and a table with an umbrella. Rey could see to her left twenty feet and straight down another ten, the Dameron’s closest neighboring house. It was a midsized bungalow with a decent patio of its own. They didn’t have a pool, but it there was a table and chairs.

“You can see straight into other people’s houses Rear Window style.” Finn joked. Rey laughed, but found it unsettling. She didn’t like the idea of being watched, much less being the watcher. She turned back to the guest room. It had a nice full bed complete with too many pillows and a fluffy gingko leaf duvet. The black efficiency dresser and taller wardrobe were free of dust or any sentimental items. She wondered how often they had an overnight guest.

“This room was made up for you. Fee free to bring anything you want to make yourself feel at home. Fair warning, it’s really quiet up here.” Poe’s voice made it sound creepier than he probably intended. Rey cocked her head to the side in question. He responded unprompted.

“When we moved in our stuff was in storage and we started getting cabin fever within a day. No internet or creature comforts can make you stir crazy really quick.” Rey nodded, understanding dawning. She’d recalled the week it took for her internet service to be set up at her apartment. It had been a black hole of internet withdrawal and using as little data on her phone as she could help.

“All work and no play makes Rey a dull girl?” Poe smirked as they walked back to the kitchen. Finn opened an innocuous looking door she’d taken for a closet. A set of carpeted stairs was revealed. The lower level was cooler than the one above, making gooseflesh pebble up her arms. They exited into a large living room with complete entertainment center. The TV was an obnoxiously big 4K HD unit. The speaker system looked more complex than she was willing to fiddle with at the moment. The couch was clearly meant for large parties and had an ottoman the size of a twin bed. Rey could imagine falling asleep in this room watching Netflix. She made a mental note to do just that the first night of her stay. A giddiness akin to a child in a toy store was building in her chest. She’d finally get a chance at living how the other half does, and she couldn’t wait.

“Do I get to swim in that pool or are you guys just using it for show?” They led her out the sliding glass doors off the living room to the patio. A small outdoor tiki bar which was not visible from her upstairs balcony made her giggle. The sign above said bar read, Casa de Poe.

“We have parties out here all the time. Tiki bar is a great conversation starter.” Rey nodded, trying to look like she went to parties like the ones they throw all the time. In truth the last party she’d been to was a graduation barhop with Finn. That was eons ago. God she suddenly felt old.

“I take it I’m not allowed to throw any wild parties while mom and dad are out of town.” Finn looked mildly affronted.

“Mom and dad? Please! Dad and Dad are totally cool with a party. Just don’t break anything or make too much noise. The neighbors are itching to call the cops on someone.” Rey walked closer to the railing around the pool deck. The view of the hills and city were amazing. The steep drop down was mildly concerning though. She wondered how much insurance they had against landslides.

Finn and Poe gave showed her the laundry room, which also had the fuse box in the even of a surge. Rey was itching to get back and pack her bags. Finally, there was a contract to sign. Poe pulled out an iPad with the agreement pulled up. She read over the one sheet agreement.

“Just a formality. We trust you not to abuse our hospitality or anything. Our lawyer just recommended it in case of a fire or something.” Rey nodded as she skimmed. She wouldn’t be liable in the event of an accident. The wording was clinical and to the point. She signed and initialed at the marked areas before handing it back.

“Great. You’re hired.” She shook both their hands before Poe hurried to the bar to pour them all mimosas. The rest of the day was spent exchanging account information and settling on a date for Rey to move in. Instead of paying once they came back, her friends opted to cover her rent for the duration of her stay. They would pay it in advance for the next 8 months. Not having to worry about expenses filled Rey with a foreign sense of power. For the first time in her adult life, she could save her paychecks. She could have an emergency fund. She could buy more than oatmeal and pasta to fill her pantry. The sky was the limit.

* * *

Getting things packed was easy enough. Once Poe and Finn’s advance cleared, Rey didn’t own many things. She had learned quickly from the foster system that only having as much as you can carry makes transitions easier. Well…not easier. The transitions never are. Lighter?

_PING!_

Finn: We just got through TSA. Text when you are at the house.

Rey: Gotcha.

She loaded her suitcase and laptop bag into her trunk. She made sure to lock up, not that there was much worth stealing in her hovel. Her TV was pulled from the dumpster by the UCLA dorms during her undergrad days. She’d been using it despite the line of dead pixels across the top. If she was watching a widescreen movie it didn’t really matter. She didn’t have cable, so she almost never watched anything but DVDs.

As she drove up into the hills, she rolled down the windows to enjoy the breeze. The infamous smog that everyone joked about was nowhere to be seen. In all honesty it was barely present anymore thanks to new clean air initiatives and demands of the tourism industry. Nothing cleans up a region faster than money. The house gates were closed when she pulled up. She took out the remote that Finn and Poe had given her and hit the unlock button. The retracted silently as she pulled into the drive before closing them behind her. She sent a quick message about arriving before getting out.

The modern lines and manicured lawn were juxtaposed by her clunker of a car. She felt slightly embarrassed before taking out her bags and hurrying inside. The keys and alarm codes she’d been given at the last meeting before their trip worked as promised. The house was hers.

“This is the part where I call all my friends and throw a kegger.” Rey laughed to herself before heading to the guest room. She quietly squashed the voice in her brain saying parties require having friends. She would not let her negative thoughts ruin her vacation. The room was freshly cleaned with crisp new sheets on the full mattress. It looked like an Ikea showroom. She put her bags on the floor by the dresser and flopped backward onto the duvet. It hugged her like a cloud as she sank deep into the fluff.

‘Nap or pool?’ This was the question. She was so comfortable now she could fall straight asleep. Outside the cracked window she could hear the pool filter buzzing quietly. Pool it is.

Her suit was a simple green one-piece halter style she’d gotten the week before. Now that she had a reason to own a swimsuit, she decided to treat herself. She hadn’t been swimming since her high school had gone to Raging Waters in San Dimas. That was back when she had been living with Unkar Plutt. She shuddered thinking about her most maligned foster parent. She’d worn a black t-shirt and men’s trunks cinched tight while all the rest of the girls wore two-piece suits. She tried not to let it get to her as she hid in the wading pools with the children. If she’d had a two piece the school would have seen her bruises. At that time in her life all she wanted was to graduate and leave the system. Moving to another house, uncertain if it would be a better one that Plutt’s, wasn’t an option. She graduated with honors and left home after receiving her diploma.

The pool sparkled in that way water in movies did. If Finn had told her it was filled exclusively with Fiji bottled water, she would have believed him. It was warm when she stuck her legs in and she sat on the edge enjoying the moment. She closed her eyes and indulged in the fantasy that this was her house. She lived her and every day was as nice as this. Far and away from beatings and abandonment. This was a version of her life not controlled by student loans monthly rent. Finn and Poe were good people, but they didn’t understand the concept of desperation like she did. She laid back in the sunlight swirling her feet in the still water.

Her phone pinged again, pulling her out of her lazy sunbathing. She looked over at the notifications and found a recommendation from YouTube. _The Death of Elisa Lam._ She’d heard this one already, but it was interesting enough to listen to again in case there were any new updates. She never really understood where her morbid fascination in true crime came from. She wasn’t a creepy goth or some murder groupie. Despite her past traumas she was a very levelheaded person. She considered herself to be rather boring to be honest. Yet here she was, poolside with her phone relaying the sad fate of a college girl found dead in a hotel water tank. Did that make her sick? Was she a psychopath? That couldn’t be right. She was highly empathetic to people and animals.

‘I’m just a junkie for true crime. Does it really have to be deeper than that?’ She sat up and scooted the rest of the way into the pool as her phone kept playing. She swam a few laps before floating along the surface enjoying the peace and quiet. Over and hour passed before she got out. Her phone had been auto playing while she was in the water. An entire playlist of crime podcasts had gone by. She was now in the middle of an episode of _My Favorite Murder_. The two lady podcasters cracked her up with their humor. She especially enjoyed living vicariously through their “California people problems”. If only her woes consisted of dresses without pockets and suitcases without built in phone chargers.

The kitchen was fully stocked. She inspected the shelves after toweling off and found an array of snacks. She took a box of Kashi with her to her room and started unpacking. Her clothes all fit into the dresser with gobs of room to spare. She never really had a visual representation of how much clothing people were expected to own until this moment. With her pants leaving a full four inches of space between then and the top of the drawer, she entertained the idea of picking up a couple extra pairs. Her leggings and jeans were becoming noticeably threadbare. She powered on her laptop on the bed and set to work writing an outline for Kaydel as she munched on dry cereal. Several hours passed in a blur as she dove deep into work. The more she got done now, the more time she could enjoy herself.

She looked over at her phone, now silent since she didn’t listen to podcasts while writing, and found it was early evening. She didn’t work past five to prevent exhaustion. She saved her drafts and sent them in an email to Kaydel for review before standing and stretching her back. It felt scrunched from her hunched over position and the exercise earlier. She’d be sore in the morning for sure. She settled outside by the pool after making a quick dinner of cold cut sandwiches on whole wheat bread. She marveled at the fact that her friends had an honest to God bread box. She’d only ever seen them in British comedies on PBS. As she watched the sun begin to set, she felt her body begin to doze. She’d gotten a lot done and felt proud of how productive she’d been. Her eyes slid shut as the sky turned a rosy orange.

The sound of a glass door shutting loudly startled her awake. It was dark out now and the security lights on the patio turned on as she sat up. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep, but she could hear the faint sound of glass bottles clinking over the railing. She stood and followed the noise, looking out over the side. The nearest house, which she’d spotted on her initial visit, was lit from within. The owner was setting a six pack of beer on the glass top table as he set a large colorful box down. The man was very fit in a white t-shirt and dark pants. He had a mop of dark hair and pale skin. She could see him surprisingly clearly from her vantage point as he lifted the lid of the box and dumped out a puzzle. She snickered quietly at the scene before her. An absolute unit of a man enjoying a cold one while doing a jigsaw puzzle on his porch. She felt like this was the set up to a cheesy romcom. She was standing barefoot in a baggy shirt and sleep shorts watching him like Jimmy Stewart in _Rear Window_. All she was missing were the binoculars.

As if on cue, he glanced up at her, looking startled. She gasped and jumped back a bit before waving lamely. He smiled awkwardly and waved back. They both kept waving well past the point of it being normal and stopped at the same time. That only made it more awkward. As if to break the tension he pointed to the beer and at her, offering. She shook her head politely with a smile. He grinned back and pointed to the puzzle and at her. She blushed before shaking her head. He mocked a pout with his expressive lips. She felt her knees shake like a teenager. She laughed louder than she intended before waving again and walking away from the rail. Years of stranger danger assemblies told her not to share a drink with a random guy. College told her drinks with random guys sometimes lead to dates. Life was full of conflicting messages. She checked the locks and alarm were on before turning in for the night.

A/N: Welcome to a story idea I had while trapped at the laundromat all summer. (Our washer died. Fantastic right?) The lovely gabriella0807 betaed this for me. I'm not totally happy with this first chapter, but I'd rather move on to the next chapter and come back later. Lemme know what you think!

~probablyajedi

P.S. I am not abandoning Balance of the Force. Life just got crazy. I promise I will finish what I started. I already have a draft.


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